Question Number: 26187

Law 18 - Common Sense 4/16/2012

Natalie Reece of Winchester, Indiana United States asks...

Is it a goal scored if a player chest traps the ball into the goal after the goalie deflects a kicked shot from another player?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Natalie I see no reason why a goal cannot be awarded unless the player that scores has infringed the Laws of the Game such as being offside or deliberate handling. Chest trapping the ball into the goal would not be an offence.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

I can't help but wonder if you've left something out of the question. A goal may be scored by any part of the body except for deliberate use of the arms. Whether the keeper deflects the shot is irrelevant.

I'm not exactly sure what it is that you're asking, what your concern is...

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Couple of possibilities here:

1) If the player who chest trapped the ball was in an offside position at the moment her teammate played the ball which then deflects off the keeper (a deflection does not count as a controlled play of the ball) then the goal does not count since the chest trap player was offside.

2) If the player who chest trapped the ball was in an offside position at the moment the ball was played by her teammate but the keeper PLAYED the ball by intentionally deflecting the ball away from the goal, in other words making a save, the offside position is irrelevant because the ball was last played and controlled by the keeper. Goal counts.

3) If the player who chest trapped the ball, and all of these scenarios assume the chest trap was a legal, no arms trap, was onside, then the goal counts.

4) If the chest trap included the use of the arms, no goal can result because what happened was a deliberate handling of the ball, and play stops, and a DFK is awarded to the opponent.

Offside Question?

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